Puja Shah graduated from Tufts School of Dental Medicine in 2007 and in 2008 completed her general practice residency at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. She works as a dentist in a pediatric practice in Riverside, CA. On a local level, she is involved in community outreach via public health programs such as the UCSD Free Dental Clinics. She has done grant research on the need for dental treatment in trauma cases for victims of domestic violence, which enabled women of shelters throughout Boston, MA to receive free dental care. Her long-term career goals include international outreach and education.

This past May was Shah’s second visit to Uganda with The Just Like My Child Foundation.

Here’s what we asked, and in Puja’s own words, what she said:

How did you get involved with The Just Like My Child Foundation? Why JLMCF?

Vivian and I met through our husbands, both Internet marketing geniuses. We got together a few years ago, in La Jolla one evening, just the two of us, when I had first moved to San Diego from New York. We hit it off right away. After all, she is a New York girl at heart But we shared more than just similar interests; we shared a passion to want to make a difference in the world around us. I loved hearing her talk about JLMCF, I loved its message of deep development, and loved her story of starting it. It inspired me to take action.

What was your first impression from your first visit to the clinic to now?

The dental clinic has grown in so many ways and we hope continues to grow.

When we first created the dental clinic, we just had a small wooden chair and little table. Now it is two rooms and we have a brand new dental chair! We have state of the art restorative (filling) materials as well. It’s so amazing to know that patients will have high quality dental care. These people deserve the best and that’s what the clinic and Dr. Jane, the local dentist, can offer them since she is equipped with the proper instruments and supplies and of course dental chair unit.

What is your favorite moment/memory from your visits?

There is a mesh of favorites for me. Apart from the stories of seeing patients, and the precious moments I shared while treating them, some of my favorite moments were connecting with Dr. Jane and the people who work in the hospital. It was always intriguing to me to discuss her story and what she had to go through to become a dentist.

Is there a particular patient or visit that stands out most with you?

It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. These kids, their eyes and voices stay with you. I can’t describe what it feels like; the feeling is just so pure. There was one girl, who needed a lot of dental, but she was scared and nervous. She had teeth extracted before when she was younger, as per her mom, by the witch doctors of the area. There is a belief in Uganda that if a child’s canine teeth erupt prior to their incisor teeth (front teeth) then it is unlucky or like the devil. Therefore, witch doctors extract the teeth and it impedes proper development of the other teeth, of jaw relation. She had another tooth that was extracted as well and her mother said she just had bad teeth. We educated her on brushing or proper oral care so that she could save what she had and so her other permanent teeth wouldn’t have the same number of cavities. She was shy and didn’t speak to us the whole appointment. Then at one point, she looked up at me and started singing. Her head was turned down, and she was smiling at me. It was so beautiful.

There was also a 3-year-old boy who needed many extractions. Almost every tooth of his was what we call ‘bombed out’ which means cavities extending so deep that there is no tooth structure remaining and just mainly black stubs remaining. When we told his father who was with him that all his upper teeth were sources if infection due the cavities, the boy responded, “No, that’s not true, only my bottom teeth have cavities.” We laughed because he probably said that because he could not see how damaged his back teeth in his upper jaw were and also since he was so observant and aware that we were talking about him. We needed to anesthetize him via injections so he sat in his father’s lap. He was of course, not happy about that, and when we were done, he climbed off the chair out of his father’s arms with his arms flailing and said “Stop, just stop! Do not give me any more injections! I have been struck with Malaria because I am shaking!” We hugged him, told him he didn’t have malaria; he was just such a character. When we were finished, he was crying from the procedure but stopped, took money out of his father’s shirt pocket and handed us the larger of the 2 bills he found. We started laughing and told him no, it’s okay.   He even smiled at us before he left.

There were kids who would sit and point to areas in their mouth that were painful. I would know when I’d see the teeth that these things were hurting them for awhile and they would sit there so still during the
extractions, that I knew they just wanted to be out of pain finally. Often they would take our hand and say thank you or bend down on knees and kneel to us, their way of showing gratitude. It always warmed my heart.

If you had one story to tell about your most recent visit, which one would it be?

Finally having the dental chair installed! Getting that dental chair implemented was not a simple task, but rather a battle of its own. We had to call engineers every single morning to be sure they were coming, since the track record of many was not good. Finally, at the end of our stay, we got one out there, and our chair was installed and working! It was amazing to see it there, after knowing how hard we worked to get it installed.

What was an average day like for you?

An average day consisted of heading over to the clinic and starting at 9 am. There were already kids who were lined up around the door and down the hospital corridor. The other dentist, Dr. Jane, gave every child a number to hold their place. Lidia would manage the kids outside, teach them OHI (oral hygiene instruction), and bring in the next one and help us get set up for each patient since we were bringing them in and out at a fast pace to see the most children possible. Some kids who were scared or in a lot of pain required more attention and coaxing, so with those, Dr. Jane and I would assist one another and take more time with them. At some point in the afternoon, we would realize we hadn’t eaten lunch and when the instruments were all used and in the sterilizer, we would go eat something and tell all the patients who were waiting to do so also. The sterilizer took one hour to sterilize and cool off instruments so we would return in an hour and resume seeing patients until about 6 pm. On our last day of the clinic, we went until 7 or 7:30 pm, and even that felt like it was not enough. There were so many children with needs and in pain. We ended up treating about 150-200 children as an estimate in the 5 days our free clinic was open.

Did you partake in the May Mango Madness? If so, what was your favorite mango fever moment?

Mango Madness! I love it Lidia and I climbed the mango tree on the day we left and sat on a branch together overlooking our little world we had gotten so used to and had grown to love. It felt like the perfect ending to our trip since we had mangos every morning with breakfast and even started to figure out which types were the stringy
ones vs. sweeter etc. One morning at breakfast, Vivian’s little boy was eating one and probably decided the mango was his science experiment calling it a volcano as it squeezed out onto his face and shirt because it was so juicy. It was so fun to have him there. He made us laugh every morning and even in the evenings after seeing so many sad cases in the clinic, it felt good to come back to the guest house and know that this healthy little boy would be being silly and smiling.

I am just so grateful for JLMCF to continue to inspire me, to search and find meaning in all that I do. This trip was amazing.

~

Thank you, Dr. Puja Shah. For more information about The Just Like My Child Foundation or if you would like to make a contribution, please click here.

Photo by Lidia Trainer-Domagalska

and we would love for you to be a part of this special evening. On Thursday, October 13th, 2011 from 6 – 9PM, we will celebrate at the historic and iconic Don Room at the El Cortez on 702 Ash Street, San Diego, CA 92101.

The attire is Black Tie OR your most fun cultural garb that you never get to wear!

Opened on Thanksgiving Day 1927 and nestled atop San Diego’s Cortez Hill stands the historic El Cortez. The carefully restored landmark is this year’s host to Just Like My Child Foundation’s annual gala.

In one of the most exquisitely designed rooms in the state of California, we will honor those individuals who have truly helped us make a difference on the other side of the world. Since 1927 Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, William Jefferson Clinton and Barack Obama have all entertained in the 24k Don Room.

And stars from Elvis Presley to Spencer Tracy to Jimi Hendrix have spent time in this amazing space.

In attendance will be an intimate host of celebrities, spiritual and personal development experts, and passionate supporters. Join us for this exclusive autumn gala and enjoy an intimate audience with VIPs from Hollywood, publishing, personal development and more.

Plus, you’ll learn directly what life is like in the field and how your contributions are eradicating poverty permanently for thousands and thousands of people.

Please take a moment to secure your admission by clicking here.

Once you register, we will keep you updated on confirmed celebrity attendees, event details and the unbelievable live auction items we’ll have for you that money just can’t buy.

CAPACITY IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO 230!
(NOTE: We have had a waitlist of 100 in the past – Tickets will sell out rapidly and we cannot increase capacity.)

Besides all the mango madness, we had some serious business to attend to at the Asili Dental Clinic. My son got to make friends and play soccer the real way – barefoot and with a deflated ball – that’s what breeds the tenacity in the great African soccer players. He also delivered school supplies from his fundraiser to over 60 orphans and vulnerable children and to four of our six schools.

It was also the first time the Just Like My Child team members were all in Uganda at the same time. We had so many great discussions, long and fun evenings with some Nile beer (because as the Nile slogan goes, “You’ve earned it!” and we certainly did). We had to install a dental chair; Dr. Shah and Lidia had a lot of dental practicing both with and without the new dental chair.

Photo by Lidia Trainer-Domagalska

So, my amazing friends and gracious supporters of the Just Like My Child Foundation be sure to stay tuned because we have a lot to share with you, especially with the many upcoming project updates, events, news from abroad, volunteer spotlights, and quite possibly a little more mango madness.

Be sure to sign up to receive our newsletter by clicking here and if you want to continue to see amazing change in rural Uganda donate here.

Routine dental visits are something we take for granted. However, Ugandan families cannot afford such luxuries and it puts children at great risk. Dr. Shah says, “Children who have dental disease generally cannot eat well, become unhealthy, malnourished, and are at risk for infections of the oral cavity such as dental abscess. The infection can spread to other glands and can lead to death when left untreated. Last year a little girl nearly died when a tooth infection spread to her glands. We were able to treat her and a child in extreme pain and danger went away happy and smiling. It takes so little to change a life!”

Currently patients at the clinic have to sit in a wooden school chair for treatment. Can you imagine? All this will change once the new, state-of-the-art dental chair is installed. Dr. Shah will also provide preventive care and treatment to hundreds of children and training to an eager staff. On average, she tends to see 40 to 60 patients a day with a focus mostly on children; they flock from the area for check-ups and procedures.

Dr. Shah and Ms. Domagalska Trainer will start their day at 9 am  and end at around 6 pm. On the last visit, along with resident dentist, Dr. Jane, they cared for a child every 15 – 20 minutes on a first come, first serve basis. Dr. Shah says “by providing dental care and education on oral hygiene education to children who would otherwise have no access at all, we are changing their quality of life in a tremendous way. While treating them, I talk to them about their goals and dreams, listen to them and provide positive encouraging words, smiles and love to take home and hopefully inspire them.”

In the past, Lidia has distributed Chinese herbs to women infected with malaria, typhoid, HIV, AIDS, and other serious conditions. She focuses on alternative medicine and is interested in providing preventive, non-invasive as well as affordable health care as a future practitioner. She also works hand in hand with Dr. Shah, teaching good dental hygiene practice and preventive measures to children waiting to be seen by the dentists. Both Dr. Shah and Lidia have taught the children songs to sing to help alleviate any fears or stress about their visit.

Lidia says it best about our mission and goals this month to Uganda, “We work towards our mission one step at a time.  In order to set up a fully functioning dental clinic a lot of resources and work are required.  Every time we go, a part of that goal gets accomplished. For example, on our first trip we’ve arrived with only dental instruments and trained the resident dentist to perform services after our departure.  That was an improvement for an area without any previous dental care available.  It was still a very rudimentary set up with only a wooden chair and no sophisticated equipment. This time, we were able to raise enough funds for a dental chair, which is being installed right now. We’ve been very fortunate to receive a lot of support in the US in the form of monetary and instrument donations. The purchased and donated supplies will travel in our suitcases and be delivered to the clinic. In the future, we hope to provide an autoclave and x-ray machine.”

The Just Like My Child Foundation has received crucial donations from the Clinton Foundation in the past, which has provided Uganda with the essential CD-4 Analyzer, a piece of laboratory equipment used in the diagnosis of AIDS. The pleasure of meeting President Clinton along with other celebrities such as Chelsea Clinton, Blake Griffin, Maria Bello, Michael Strahan, and Drake was a great honor for me.

James Malinchak, ABC’s Secret Millionaire has also provided Just Like My Child with a generous donation – a school. Malinchak raised enough funds for Ugandan children in the village of Namumira to attend a clean, bright, and safe school that they previously would never have been able to access. The school has four classrooms, which provides education for 200 students as well as a bright promise for the future.

Through the help of The Clinton Foundation and ABC’s Secret Millionaire James Malinchak the Just Like My Child Foundation is successfully providing holistic solutions to poverty and helping Ugandan families experience the power of potential. I am forever gracious for the donations and contributions from organizations such as the Clinton Foundation and people like James Malinchak.

I started Just Like My Child because I was eager to make a difference in the lives of other mothers and children. The efforts of The Clinton Foundation and James Malinchak enable many people to know the joy of helping to save and enrich lives. Just Like My Child’s commitment is to create a world where all children feel joy and happiness by experiencing his or her full potential.

As we approach the end of 2010 I wanted to post some fabulously encouraging and amazing results.

In just two years, 578 million (yes, millions!) of people in sub-saharan Africa have been protected by Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITMN).  According to the World Health Organization (WHO)

“Eleven of Africa’s 43 endemic countries are now reporting reductions of greater than 50 percent in either confirmed malaria cases or deaths over the past decade. Outside Africa, the malaria map is shrinking as more and more countries eliminate malaria from their territory.”   – WHO Director-General Margaret Chan

This is amazing!  And even more encouraging is if we can continue these types of gains in awareness, access and use of the mosquito nets deaths from malaria-related illnesses could end by 2015.

It’s definitely more encouraging than I would have thought and we continue to provide ITBNs through our partner “Save for Health” who teaches individuals how to use them and conducts the measurement and evaluation to make sure they’re being used properly and disease is reduced.

Even with this progress, a child still dies every 30 seconds of this treatable, preventable disease. And nearly one million people (mainly children in Africa) die each year from malaria.

The World Health Organization says funding for malaria control programs, until recently, has been very good. Unfortunately, contributions in 2010 have leveled off and the amounts pledged fall far short of needs.

At the end of the day, what this really means is (1) mosquito nets really work, and (2) we still need more funding to eradicate malaria by 2015.

The Just Like My Child Foundation has already distributed enough insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 45,000 children under the age of five and pregnant mothers. We’re making a huge impact, but we desperately need your help to continue to save the lives.

It only costs $10 to distribute an insecticide-treated bed net that protects up to 3 children from the bite of a mosquito at night — the time when they are most active.

$10    = 3 children protected from Malaria

$100   = 30 children protected from Malaria

$1,000   = 300 children protected from Malaria

Your donation does not go to a large organization that uses only a portion of your funds to protect children from malaria.  Just Like My Child purchases the nets ourselves and make sure they get right to the families who need them most.

Please make your final tax-deductible donation for 2010 to a life-saving cause.  You will be protecting children from malaria and giving them hope for a productive future.  Please donate today.

To read more about the amazing results of reported by WHO, go to:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Malaria-Control-Programs-Save-Thousands-of-Lives-111867099.html

Or

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/africa:-who-says-578-million-africans-protected-by-anti-malaria-nets-2010121564244.html

David Beckham and Andy Murray are promoting what looks like a horror movie entitled, The Hunting Moon. The teaser trailer is only 20 seconds.  At the end it spurs the viewer to go to the website and watch the one minute trailer with a link that reads Click Here for the Full Horror.  Who could resist?  Only after you are hooked and interested in finding out when the movie is released, are you invited to watch the Reveal Trailer – a second trailer that provides statistics, prevention and education about malaria in a visually appealing and almost “hip” way.

Kudos to the creators of this video series for bringing the deadly affects of malaria to the world’s population in a viral way.

Watch the teaser trailer here:  http://www.youtube.com/TheHuntingMoon or click on the video below.

At Just Like My Child we are so grateful for your donations.  We continue to apply the much-needed funds to supply the poorest communities of Uganda with mosquito nets, malaria medications and education to help reduce the catastrophic number of annual deaths from malaria.

Please help us continue our efforts to help so many young children and their families take control over the health and circumstances by making a donation.  https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108watch?v=PQ3TJDZuTSc

:

Here is a surprising answer to the question of what costs Africa $12 billion a year in economic loss. Malaria.  Every 45 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.

In the U.S. we might think that malaria is similar to many other diseases – it is preventable and treatable.  So why does it contribute to so many deaths and costs Africa billions of dollars?  Because Just Like My Child has been working in Uganda for four years now we are painfully and sometimes personally aware of the affects of malaria and we assume everyone knows what we know.

I was recently asked the question of why Africa has one of the highest rates of  malaria-related deaths.  Why there and not here?  What makes the U.S. and other nations less susceptible?  That is when I realized sometimes I take for granted the education I have received through my work in Uganda.  Those “simple” questions spurred the content for this blog post.

Malaria is typically found in warmer regions of the world such as tropical countries with consistently higher temperatures.    Therefore many areas in sub-Saharan Africa are ideal climates for malaria-carrying mosquitos.  So you might think that tropical parts of the U.S. would have the same problems.  The fact is that states like Florida did suffer from high rates of malaria. However, the U.S. Government made a concerted effort to eliminate malaria through spraying of DDT in the 1950s. Environmentalists argued against DDT, but no one can argue against saving the lives of millions of children. Many experts would agree that malaria could be drastically reduced in sub-Saharan Africa through focused political will and financial commitment on the part of indigenous and international governments.  Visit http://www.3billionandcounting.com/ for a controversial yet thought-provoking discussion on this topic.

Another reason why Africa suffers more than most areas from malaria is a result of its vicious cycle of poverty.  If you start with an impoverished developing country and add a deadly disease that is easily transmittable from insect to human with medical aid miles away, you are destined to see a struggle not likely found in other countries.

Malaria is a drain on the already impoverished communities of Africa.  The more often a family suffers from malaria the more a parent has to choose taking care of the child over working.  The less money they make, the fewer the opportunity to get access to preventive medicine and education in very rural areas.

The largest population of children in Uganda and many adults cannot wait for new treatments to be distributed.  In many cases, the drugs will not find their way to the most rural areas without additional resources for doing so.

At Just Like My Child we are constantly improving the means and methods for reaching the children most susceptible to severe malaria illness and death.  Our reach is expanding and through improved education about prevention and distribution for protective nets we are making progress.

These proven protective nets are an inexpensive way to protect a child, improve a family and provide opportunities for a community.  A $100 donation will help 30 individuals to a change the course of a cycle of poverty to one of self-reliance.

Please donate today at:  https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108

Imagine suffering from the effects of malaria; being dehydrated, nauseous, and not able to move. In order to get treatment you have to ride on those same rough, dirt roads on a motorcycle for 40 miles?

Being brought to a hospital lying down and on an IV drip seems like a luxury for the people in the three largest districts in Uganda. They’ve had to resort to bicycles and motorcycles to get to a fully-functioning medical facility 70 kilometers away.

Previously Bishop Asili Hospital had been unable to provide reliable transportation to its community because they lacked the “basic” benefit of an ambulance. As Founder, Sister Ernestine Akulu explains, “often times we were called to the site of an accident and although we could get to them, we could not carry the equipment or supplies or get the trauma patients back to the hospital. This is why a lot of women in Uganda gave birth along the side of the road and the babies were infected with all sorts of viruses such as tetanus.” These babies started their lives suffering from Day One.

The hospital also has outreach clinics in communities where it is very difficult for people to access any health care on a regular basis. Once a month hospital staff transports the drugs, supplies, and immunizations to these areas and they set up a virtual clinic: spending the whole day doing as much as they can for as many people as they can see. Because these patients do not get medical treatment regularly, it is often an issue of providing more reactive treatments rather than preventative and maintenance treatment.

With your help, Just Like My Child has been able to fund the purchase of an ambulance for Asili Hospital. Having an ambulance helps in so many ways; reduction in childbirths outside of a sterile environment for the health of the mother and child, increase in ability to better serve the outreach communities every month, increase in preventative treatment for serious illnesses and disease, and on-site medical aid for accidents.

Bicycles and motorcycles should not be the primary means of transportation for those in extreme medical emergencies. Thanks to your dedication and donations, going to the hospital lying down with an IV drip is no longer a luxury or a dream.

You can help make more dreams come true for the devoted staff at Bishop Asili Hospital and the communities they serve by contributing to these life-saving efforts. https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108

The same is true with the medical facilities in Uganda. The Asili Hospital was in a very similar position when Just Like My Child Foundation first became aware of their needs. The hospital had more and more people coming into the facility for assistance when they did not have electricity or running water. They had no doctor, no AIDS treatments, and no Malaria protection. The patients couldn’t get well enough to contribute to supporting their families. In addition, the hospital was using their dwindling resources to care for people in a reactive way rather than with preventive measures.

Meanwhile the community as a whole continued to slip because its members weren’t healthy. As in all situations like this, children are the most affected – nothing is more vulnerable than a child living in abject poverty. This is a cycle that creates desperation and like a virus, affects large portions of communities, across multiple generations.

This is the cycle of poverty.

It was a horrible situation all around with no end in sight. That was in 2006. Over the last four years, Just Like My Child has worked together with community leaders and the hospital to dramatically shift the outcomes of this Ugandan community of nearly 600,000 people. The hospital can now provide treatment to its communities in a proactive way, while they develop income-generating opportunities.

Now the hospital not only has lights and running water but they have two surgeons providing 20 different types of surgeries in a fully-equipped surgical center. Asili Hopsital can now charge low rates for every service such as a C-section, ultrasound, etc. They are able to provide AIDS treatments so their patients can be strong enough to work and provide for their families. A cafeteria has also been built not only for convenience but as a revenue source.

Through the revenue they have been generating they were able to hire another doctor so they don’t burn out the existing one and so he can spend time getting certified in additional surgical procedures which will lead to more offerings and income. Once the surgeon completes this additional schooling Asili will become a teaching hospital that benefits from interns who can serve more patients while the hospital receives financial support from the school.

This is a cycle of progress! This is true “Deep Development.”

You can help support our efforts to continue to provide self-reliant medical resources to the ‘resource-poor’ communities such as Uganda. You can contribute to our life-saving and life-empowering programs here: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108